Eleven locals showcase their idea of the most satisfying meal at one of Japan’s cheapest restaurants.
If your stomach has decided to imitate a tiger, demanding to be satiated with food, but things are looking a little tight at the moment, there’s one option in Japan that will leave you feeling completely satisfied upon exiting: Saizeriya. With its incredibly low prices, it’s a perfect place to have a meal without breaking the bank.
Our Japanese-language team has tackled many of Japan’s popular chains in search of getting the best bang for your buck, with only a budget of 1,000 yen (US$6.95). Despite having two previous attempts, both first and second, at Saizeriya in 2023, the team have once again turned their eyes back on the Italian family restaurant chain to see what new and delicious combinations they can come up with after several updates to the menu.
A total of eleven of our reporters descended upon the chain individually to take part in this challenge, and they only had one goal: have the most satisfying meal without going over 1,000 yen.
▼ Mariko Ohanabatake’s “Three-Course Meal with a Dash of Rock Salt”
- Grilled Chicken with Vegetable Sauce: 500 yen
- Focaccia: 150 yen
- Coffee Jelly with Milk Gelato: 350 yen
- Rock Salt: 0 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
Mariko’s goal was to create a complete meal from three dishes, centered around the focaccia. As soon as everything gets delivered to the table, the first step is cutting the focaccia in half. While the iron plate is still sizzling, savor the Grilled Chicken with Vegetable Sauce, but be sure to leave a little bit of the corn.
Gather up some of the sauce, along with the meat juices on the plate and remaining corn, and load it onto the focaccia, creating a delicious corn bread. Of course, you could just as easily create a grilled chicken sandwich, placing some between the slices of focaccia.
Lastly is the dessert of Coffee Jelly with Milk Gelato. You must first taste the jelly by itself, then scoop about half of the gelato on top, creating the perfect balance from the rich sweetness of the gelato and bitterness of the jelly.
With the remaining gelato, you will want to sprinkle on some of the free rock salt for an extra twist, adding an extra depth to the sweetness. You could even stuff the gelato into the leftover focaccia and create an imitation maritozzo.
Not only will you leave full, but you’ll also enjoy Saizeriya’s potential for infinite creative combinations.
▼ Yuichiro Wasai’s “Fusion of the Best New and Old Items”
- Doria with “Tarako” Sauce & Fried Shrimp: 400 yen
- Onion Soup with Bread & Cheese: 300 yen
- Grilled Spicy Chicken: 300 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
Yuichiro would like it to be known that he visits Saizeriya at least once a week, so when it comes to its menu, he is a pro. The tastiest food they have to offer is the Doria with “Tarako” (cod roe) Sauce & Fried Shrimp. Doria is an Italian-style rice gratin that is quite a popular item found in Italian restaurants in Japan. A new item released this year, Yuichiro believes that this is Saizeriya’s new star item.
For just 300 yen, the Onion Soup with Bread & Cheese is delicious far beyond what it should be. Despite only recently becoming a lot more popular, it’s actually been on the menu since 2014, so it could be said to be a well-established ace member of the Saizeriya dish line-up.
Rounding out Yuichiro’s meal is the long-time favorite: Grilled Spicy Chicken. No matter how many new items appear, the spicy chicken retains its title of being a must-order on every restaurant visit. Three items from three different generations of dishes makes for an all-star meal, yet still keeps to the budget.
▼ Go Hatori’s “First-Time-Experiences-Only Set”
- Spaghetti “Nero Di Seppia”: 500 yen
- Onion Soup with Bread & Cheese: 300 yen
- Drink Bar: 200 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
For Go, Saizeriya is the kind of place where you can try anything that catches your eye, due to the low cost which makes ordering stress-free. So, he decided to put this into practice by only ordering food that he’s never tried before.
Go’s meal consisted of Spaghetti “Nero Di Seppia” (squid ink pasta), with the same onion soup that Yuichiro ordered to complement it. He also wanted to drink some coke, and follow the meal with an espresso, so the drink bar was a necessary inclusion.
▼ Seiji Nakazawa’s “Extravagant 1,000 yen Course”
- Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce Lunch Set (with Focaccia): 600 yen
- Doria with Meat Sauce 300 yen
- Red Wine (glass): 100 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
With rising costs, Seiji has recently been lamenting the fact that even new dishes at beef bowl restaurants, which have long been renowned as places to pick up a cheap meal, can hit the 1,000-yen mark. So, he went into the challenge expecting Saizeriya to struggle to offer more than a single dish for the budget, but he was blown away by how much food he could order.
Saizeriya has a lunchtime-only menu that usually consists of a meal, side dish, and soup for a cheaper price than the regular menu, so Seiji set his eyes on that, opting for a Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce. The lunch set usually comes with rice, but you can easily swap it out for focaccia, which he did.
Adding onto that, he also ordered Doria with Meat Sauce, resulting in the table being covered with food. With 100 yen left to spend, he added a glass of red wine to have a little lunchtime party.
▼ Yoshio’s “You Must Eat the Hamburg Set!”
- Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce Lunch Set (with Rice): 600 yen
- Spaghetti “Tarako” Sauce: 400 yen
- Soda Water: 0 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
Similar to Seiji, Yoshio based his meal around the Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce lunch set, but kept the rice instead of opting for the focaccia, because the unlimited soup you can get until 3 p.m. is just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
After eating though, he was left shocked by the flavor: the 100-percent beef hamburg steak was so delicious it could easily compete with those found at specialty stores. The office was filled with his ravings about the deliciousness of the hamburg steak for days after, speaking volumes about the impression it made on him.
Finishing up, he went for the Spaghetti “Tarako” Sauce. The quality of the meal was fantastic, and he left the store feeling completely full and satisfied, also having enjoyed the free soda water.
▼ Ahiruneko’s “Infinite Ajillo Creation Set”
- Grilled Escargots: 400 yen
- Shrimp with Saizeriya Dressing: 280 yen
- Red Wine (small decanter): 200 yen
- White Wine (glass): 100 yen
Total: 980 yen
To our alcohol-loving reporter Ahiruneko, Saizeriya is less of an Italian family restaurant and more of an izakaya. Every item is purportedly a great fit as a drinking snack, but this time he would like to share one of his own creations: the “Infinite Ajillo”.
The secret to his dish is to place the shrimp into the empty escargot dish, creating a seemingly endless supply of ajillo.
In order to survive the cascading shrimp, at least three glasses of wine is essential. For people who are fond of just even a little bit of alcohol, Ahiruneko strongly suggests you give his dish a try.
▼ Masanuki Sunakoma “Super-Popular Lunch Set”
- Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce Lunch Set (with Rice): 600 yen
- Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese: 400 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
The Beef Hamburg Steak with Vegetable Sauce Lunch Set makes its third appearance in this round, although Masanuki decided to go for the fan-favorite pizza, with rich, milky buffalo mozzarella imported straight from Italy.
Going in a different direction to some of the other challengers who have opted to experiment, Masanuki felt that these two popular items can best showcase what Saizeriya has to offer.
▼ Mr. Sato’s “Totally Stuffed for 1,000 Yen Set”
- Doria with Meat Sauce: 300 yen
- Spaghetti “Peperoncino”: 300 yen
- Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese: 400 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
Mr. Sato deliberated long and hard about what combination he should go with, so much so that he eventually just got fed up and went with some staples: doria, pasta, and pizza. With so much food, he walked away with his stomach feeling like it’d burst. If you want to be full, this is the meal you should get, and only Saizeriya can do this with just 1,000 yen.
▼ Takamichi Furusawa’s “Relaxed Italian 1,000 Yen Course”
- Sauteed Spinach: 200 yen
- Doria with Meat Sauce: 300 yen
- Tiramisu: 300 yen
- Drink Bar (with a meal): 200 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
Takamichi never spends 1,000 yen at Saizeriya, mostly going for a light meal in the form of Doria with Meat Sauce and the drink bar. However, thanks to the challenge, he had twice the amount of money to spend, so he fashioned together a three-course meal.
His appetizer came in the form of Sauteed Spinach, and with tiramisu for dessert, his table felt a lot more bustling than it usually did. Following the meal, he felt completely satisfied, and knew he had made a great choice for a meal. Due to having to order everything at once for the photo, he’d like to order it in courses next time: first the appetizer, then main, and finally dessert.
▼ Takashi Harada’s “Italian-style Full Stomach Set”
- Doria with Meat Sauce & Egg 350 yen
- Onion Soup with Bread & Cheese: 300 yen
- Tiramisu: 300 yen
Total: 950 yen
When you think of Saizeriya, you naturally think of Italy, so Takashi constructed his meal with dishes that seemed the most “Italian” to him. His choice of doria, soup, and tiramisu made for a well-balanced meal. Commenting on his order, Takashi believes that you should never leave out the doria when you go to Saizeriya.
▼ P.K. Sanjun’s “Viral Dish Copycat Set”
- Grilled Skewered Lamb: 400 yen
- Shrimp Salad: 350 yen
- Focaccia with Cheese: 250 yen
- Soda Water: 0 yen
Total: 1,000 yen
P.K. has many favorites at Saizeriya, but his all-time favorite is the Grilled Skewered Lamb, particularly after witnessing diners at a neighboring table creating a lamb sandwich on one of his visits.
However, much to his dismay, the store no longer sells the Mini Ficelle, nor the Green Salad, so he had to substitute them out for focaccia and shrimp salad. Even so, the flavor is still the best: the combination of lamb, fresh vegetables and bread is unbeatable. Everyone needs to try this at least once; it’s just that good.
Which meals tickled your fancy? We saw several dishes crop up a few times, so if you haven’t had the chance to try out Saizeriya yet, consider choosing from among them, or go wild with experimentation. Despite the rising costs in Japan, Saizeriya still maintains its cheap but delicious meals. You don’t even need to spend 1,000 yen to come away feeling fully satisfied, making it one of the best options for dining on a budget.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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